Wildcats suffer a pair of setbacks on the hard court

HARTINGTON — A young, determined Hartington-Newcastle boys basketball team struggled to two losses last week, but the mentality remains one of positives and goals still ready to be met.

The Wildcats suffered defeats against Tri-County Northeast (53-47) and Walthill (79-61).

A furious fourth-quarter rally wasn’t enough to overcome a cold-shooting second frame as the Wolfpack hung on to pull out the three-point win.

Isaac Bruning led the Wildcats with 12 points against Tri-City Northeast.

“It was a highly competitive game and we trailed by 12 points at two different times in the third quarter and were able to pull within one point in the fourth quarter with three different chances to take the lead or tie it in the final two minutes,” HNS head coach Nick Haselhorst said. “We faced adversity early in the first quarter when one of our starters sprained an ankle and we dealt with serious foul trouble all night.

“We were proud of the team’s fight and resolve to have an opportunity to win or tie the game late. Ultimately, our quick shot selection led to our demise because it continued to put our defense in difficult situations all night,” said Coach Haselhorst.

At Walthill, a decisive second quarter saw the hosts go off for a 28-9 edge to lead by 17 at halftime.

Shot selection, taking care of the basketball, defensive transition, contesting shooters, and defensive rebounding were some key areas the Wildcats dealt with during the week.

“Against Tri-City Northeast, we played great halfcourt defense, but we needed to finish defensive possessions with a rebound,” Haselhorst said. “Offensively, we needed to finish our layups and shots within the paint when we are presented with those opportunities.”

The Walthill game was about the team’s ability to handle the fullcourt pressure and get into the halfcourt offense.

“When we executed our press break and got the ball in the paint, we scored points easily,” Haselhorst said. “When we fell into their trap of baiting us to take quick shots and 3-pointers, we often came up with empty possessions. Quick shots put a lot of pressure on our defensive transition and Walthill has great shooters that can consistently knock down shots as we allowed 15 made 3-pointers.”

Haselhorst wants to see his team “develop a deeper understanding of how to calmly handle ball pressure and the difference between a good shot and a great shot.”

Bruning, who the Wildcats coach says, “is a hard-working kid. He is a bit undersized but can really score the ball and defends well and does a great job of leading by example and communicating,” against a 5-1 Osmond team on a 75-foot shoot.

“That game gave us a lot of confidence: We beat this team, we can beat any team we face this season,” Bruning said. “Maybe we were too confident and thought these games would be too easy. It’s a lack of execution. We have to play the entire game otherwise it’s going to be a long season.

“Most teams are bigger than us and we want to try to spread teams out, but our rebounding has also been a problem and teams are getting a lot of second chance opportunities against us. That’s not going to end up well at the end of the game.”

Bruning would like to see the team improve on its practice intensity to replicate a game feel. He also wants to see the Wildcats improve its game execution.

That comes with everyone focusing at the same time.

“We can’t make our own story during the game,” Bruning said. “My teammates are pretty focused, and we feel like no matter what we do, we need to find a way to get it done. If we don’t? We will be 1-10 and look back and it will be a failed season.”

SCORING HNS - Isaac Bruning, 12; Bennet Sievers, 6; Riley Sudbeck, 6; Seth Pinkelman, 6; Kobe Heitman, 5; Reece Morten, 4; Jake Peitz, 3; Turner Dendinger, 3. TCNE - Steven Sullivan, 10; Mason Hall, 9; Ryan Kinnaman, 8; Reed Hingst, 6; Ty Krommenhoek, 5; Nate Oswald, 5; Anthony Isom, 3; Garrett Blanke, 2.

REBOUNDS HNS - Seth Pinkelman, 11; Kobe Heitman, 8; Riley Sudbeck, 6; Turner Dendinger, 5; Bennet Sievers, 2; Jake Peitz, 1. TCNE - Ryan Kinnaman, 6; Garrett Blanke, 5; Steven Sullivan, 5; Kobe Kumm, 5; Josh Olesen, 3; Reed Hingst, 3; Anthony Isom, 3; Mason Hall, 1; Ty Krommenhoek, 1.

ASSISTS HNS - Kobe Heitman, 3; Isaac Bruning, 2; Turner Dendinger, 2; Jake Peitz, 1; Seth Pinkelman, 1; Riley Sudbeck, 1; Bennet Sievers, 1; TCNE - Kobe Kumm, 4; Josh Olesen, 3; Reed Hingst, 2; Mason Hall, 2; Anthony Isom, 1.

STEALS HNS - Kobe Heitman, 2; Isaac Bruning, 2; Turner Dendinger, 2; TCNE - Mason Hall, 1; Reed Hingst, 1; Ryan Kinnaman, 1.

SCORING HNS - Isaac Bruning, 20; Jake Peitz, 11; Kobe Heitman, 10; Seth Pinkelman, 10; Riley Sudbeck, 8; Lane Heimes, 2.

REBOUNDS HNS - Riley Sudbeck, 7; Seth Pinkelman, 6; Bennet Sievers, 6; Jake Peitz, 5; Kobe Heitman, 5; Dayton Sudbeck, 5; Turner Dendinger, 1.

ASSISTS HNS -Isaac Bruning, 2; Seth Pinkelman, 2; Dayton Sudbeck, 1; Kobe Heitman, 1; Jake Peitz, 1; Bennett Sievers, 1; Riley Sudbeck, 1.

STEALS HNS - Riley Sudbeck, 3; Jake Peitz, 2; Kobe Heitman, 2; Isaac Bruning, 1; Reece Morten, 1; Dayton Sudbeck, 1; Lane Heimes, 1;.Turner Dendinger, 1; Seth Pinkelman, 1.

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